I think this is the first time I realized that pregnant women near term really do look like they are smuggling basketballs in their shirts. Seriously, what is that thing at my waist?
Just kidding, I totally know what that is… Baby Beard!
I’m pretty worn out this week, world. I’ve never, in my entire life, gone home sick from work 2 days in one week. Never. I’ve never taken this much time off for illness. And it isn’t directly pregnancy related as far as I’m concerned. I have a pretty weak immune system it turns out, especially when it comes to histamine response. I have struggled with allergies all my post pubescent life, and frankly I was not prepared for how my body would respond to pregnancy. I have to admit I’ve been thinking I was superhuman and I thought I would be cool for the last haul. I’m not giving up, but I sure am tired of being so whiny!
Fun stuff: I’ve got a really active bundle of joy. Week before last we had a fantastic time in Houston. Sure it was hot, it was humid, and frankly, it was hot and humid. But man I sure did miss me some sun and there was plenty of it in Htown. Our families sure know how to take care of us when we’re in town.
Powerful thoughts: We also got to see many great friends and it made me incredibly happy. Community and relationships are so very important for a growing family and you don’t realize how much they matter till you leave them all behind.
That’s the sentiment I had as I looked back at profile shots over the course of bambino #1’s gestation. In fact I would say I can even tell a growth spurt between 18-22 weeks. Craziness. Here’s a little progression from weeks 13-30.
I need to work on looking happier in these photos… J
This new saga in the Beard household is small, but MIGHTY!
We’re flippin’ excited and can’t wait (and are scared to death at the same time) to welcome Seajay* in September this year (or August if this baby takes after its father).
Me at 20 weeks LMP.
*All names have been changed to protect the innocent.
We weren’t lucky enough this year to experience much of the summer in the pacific northweast due to all the travel for ultimate, grad school, and work between the two of us. Oh yeah and summer lasted only about 2 months.
It was easy to miss.
Luckily, we got some of the most AMAZING weather when Sean’s parents came to visit us for his birthday. And we got be the biggest tourists imaginable thanks to their curiosity and kindness during their visit.
Itinierary:
We weren’t allowed to take photos at the Future of Flight due to the IP nature of what we see but it was a perfect NW weather day to be inside and enjoy the tour of the production line for several Boeing fleets. There were also expositions about the first airlines and how they operated as well the
Mt. Rainier and in the foreground, one of my favorite plants, the corn lily.
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Funny, I grew up needing hurricane evactuation routes… up here you need volcano evac routes. |
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Lake Union – Seattle, Wa. We could see Rainier amidst the sailboat masts along the lake. This view was from the Queen of Seattle, a classic steamboat tour. |
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A view of the Space Needle on our walk to the Space Center Park. |
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Sean and I are really enjoying our lives in WA and adjusting pretty well to the abundance that there is to do and enjoy here. The health conscious and recreationally active nature of Pacific NW citizens has given me plenty of opportunities to play sports and teach fitness classes while I’m job hunting.
I’ve been subbing a few classes since July for Get Fit Boot Camp Seattle and I’ve really been enjoying it despite the long early morning drive across Lake Washington. I’ve also started teaching at 24 Hour Fitness around the Eastside and it’s been great to shake off the cobwebs for some formats like cycling and strength and meet new people.
Sean has been moving full steam ahead with his job and is seeing new ventures and opportunities arise that are challenging and stimulating for him. He also got to take a fishing trip after work one day last week to Mirror Lake with some coworkers. No, he didn’t catch anything but he managed to avoid falling in (narrowly from my understanding) and had a great time. We’re gearing up for a visit from his parents next week and want to be good hosts (sorry Amber and George!) by learning more about our area. Fishing is definitely on the agenda!
We’ve been really lucky, blessed and fortunate with such a smooth transition despite the big changes in our lives, and are very thankful it has been relatively without hiccup. We hope all our friends and family are also doing well and look forward to hearing from you soon.
We’ve returned from our 2.5 week adventure in Europe. There were too many pictures to post here but we’ve got a Picasa Album of all the pictures (and I mean *ALL* the pictures). There were some pretty amazing things to see while we were there. I hope you too can enjoy the sites from our eyes.
And, I’m apologizing to Sean now for how many times I made him pose in these pictures.
Places we stopped:
For those of you thinking, ‘Wow that sure is a long list for only 2.5 weeks’ you would be correct. This is our last trip in the AJ style of cram as much in as possible in, in a small amount of time. We hope our next trip will involve as much fun with a little less hustle…
More details about the trip can be seen in the pictures. The captions or tags will provide more detail about some of them and others you just have to guess or ask us about.
We’re coming on 4 weeks in our new town and new place. We’ve unpacked all the boxes, made our nest and now it’s time to dazzle you with reflections on our trip.
We couldn’t help but be amazed first and foremost by the distance we have now placed between us and our former home in Houston. 2800 miles is nothing to shake a stick at. While we didn’t take the shortest route, it was still a sizeable trip and makes every visit back all the more precious.
The other point of note is how much of the country there is between here and Houston and how many spectacular things we don’t even know about. And for however briefly, how nice it was to catch a glimpse of some of those things on this trip.
The biggest impressions left by our travels across the southwestern part of the US:
That’s what you call people living on the east side of Lake Washington. It’s funny how I’m now living outside the loop. Because that’s what it feels like when people say it to me now. I understand! It’s a little bit of a hike to the wonders of Seattle proper, but for right now, I’m happy with my 7 minute bike ride to the heart of downtown Bellevue. We’re even closer by car to Sean’s office and there is a 24 Hour fitness directly across the street. Which we all know makes me very happy. While it’s a little suburban, it’s still a busy city that has all we need right now.
I have to go straight domestic on everyone and share my excitement at my first dining room set. No it’s not a pool table. But I can eat on it, and sit down without banging my knees!
I’m happily unpacking (I never thought I would say that) because it’s part of this whole new adventure. The weather showed a lot of how it can be in the Pacific northwest today also. There was a heavy rainstorm, followed by very gusty winds, then the sun came shining out, then it was cloudy and overcast. All in about 20 minutes. The cottonwood trees are making it snow (that’s what it looks like to me).
There are two whole rooms without any boxes in them anymore. I’m stoked. I can’t wait for some visitors!
We’ve made it! Rolling in at just before midnight on Saturday, Sean and I have arrived at our new home in Bellevue, Wa. With a good amount to unpack, we set up camp in the new house with some borrowed air mattresses (Thanks, Jim and Linda) and our sleeping bags. I had a little trouble sleeping with the excitement of a new chapter in our lives, but Sean was already at home and after captaining us for the long haul to get us from Eugene, OR to Bellevue, it was well deserved.
We’re going to take a little break from the blog but will be back soon to reflect on some of the things we saw along the way and to keep everyone updated on our next big adventure, getting to know Washington.
